Closeup external shot of the secondary piloting station. This ship can be piloted from multiple locations, first the external piloting module (version 1 shown later, version 2 in a the build journal v1.0) and then the centralized command module shown here.

Birds-eye view

Rear angle shot showing engine ports

Side shot showing engine ports. need to change out the grey pieces with black, just have not gotten to that yet :)

Odd forward intake. I can't imagine what purpose this would serve, as the engines themselves have their own cooling vents, but I just knew it had to be there

Upper access hatch number one showing the ladder. Have not added in a lid for this hatch yet. still deciding on what color to make it.

Angle shot showing hatch 1 and 2. Not sure why there are two hatches, but I dig the way it looks, so it stays.

Angle shot with another custom R2 unit.

Custom R2 unit again but with a view of the topside hatch and if you look real closely, a bit more of the gears which extend and retract the landing gear. Speaking of which, this thing is HEAVY. The forward landing gear has significantly more weight put on it than the rear units, which is why it is a slightly modified design. The axle pieces were bending at an uncomfortable angle... :)

Side shot showing the landing gear and armor plating. some really insane angles on this thing. Every piece seems to be at a 45 degree angle to it's neighbor.

Rear angle shot showing the upper command module. There are actually some quad-cannons that mount into the ball joint sockets there, but they are currently on another ship and I've not had time to build more.

and... the motor built into the undercarriage. I laugh outloud at my thinking this might be strong enough to lift it. If I want to demo that, I'll have to build a stand.
That's about it for now. More to come of course. I hope you enjoy.

Quoting Dan the Man
Oh, man !
This is an instant win ! I absolutely love this idea and your design, very well made !
I've checked out the other build diary and your other models, and they certainly impress me :)
The shape is great, the front kicks ass, nice looking cockpit; great idea to build something in the same way as the UCS falcon, but *with* interior, and the style, shape and color scheme really are perfect for the Rebels !
I'd have liked to make an interior for my Falcon, but decided against it as I thought that being such a big and expensive set, I'd prefer to keep it as is... And I'm not sure if I have enough lego to make a second ship like yours - as much as I'd want to, I think I like even less the idea of having to break all my other models for pieces... maybe one day, if I find loads more used lego on flea markets :)
Anyway, very impressive model, I can't wait to see more; and please, when it's done, give us plenty of detailed photos, inside and out, zoomed in where necessary, because this is going to be totally awesome !
There are many good builders on here, but few have led me to add them as a favorite :)
Dan

Wow. Thanks for all of this. Been enjoying the group quite a bit too when I have time to be in front of the computer :)
I'll be updating this with the latest changes hopefully this week. some major shifts occurred in the build, mostly armor plating for a significant part of the hull that was previously uncovered, so I look forward to getting it posted. Just need the sun to poke it's head from the clouds again so I can get some pictures...

Oh, man !
This is an instant win ! I absolutely love this idea and your design, very well made !
I've checked out the other build diary and your other models, and they certainly impress me :)
The shape is great, the front kicks ass, nice looking cockpit; great idea to build something in the same way as the UCS falcon, but *with* interior, and the style, shape and color scheme really are perfect for the Rebels !
I'd have liked to make an interior for my Falcon, but decided against it as I thought that being such a big and expensive set, I'd prefer to keep it as is... And I'm not sure if I have enough lego to make a second ship like yours - as much as I'd want to, I think I like even less the idea of having to break all my other models for pieces... maybe one day, if I find loads more used lego on flea markets :)
Anyway, very impressive model, I can't wait to see more; and please, when it's done, give us plenty of detailed photos, inside and out, zoomed in where necessary, because this is going to be totally awesome !
There are many good builders on here, but few have led me to add them as a favorite :)
Dan